1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a semiconductor element which are used, e.g., for power control.
2. Background Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H04-280475 discloses a semiconductor device including a semiconductor element that is turned on and off by the presence or absence of a voltage at its gate.
When a semiconductor element is turned on and off, switching loss occurs. In order to reduce the total switching loss of the semiconductor element, it is necessary to reduce both the turn-on loss and the turn-off loss of the element (which constitute the switching loss). In the case of conventional semiconductor elements, however, there is a trade-off between the turn-on loss and the turn-off loss, making it impossible to reduce the total switching loss.